Falcons HC Dan Quinn Says 'Hell Yeah' He'll Support Players Kneeling, Protesting

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn will have no problem supporting players if they choose to protest during the national anthem prior to games in 2020.

Per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Quinn said "hell yeah" he would offer his support "if and when the players choose to protest, in whatever way they choose."

The potential for NFL players kneeling during the national anthem has increased amid the ongoing social unrest across the country following the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported he's hearing from players and agents that there could be kneeling "en masse in a large-scale display of solidarity with those who continue to protest in the streets against police brutality and the systematic killing of people for the color of their skin."

Quinn, along with several Falcons coaches, executives and players, took part in the "Buckhead4BlackLives" march June 7 to the Georgia governor's mansion.

"Yeah, the locker room is a special place," Quinn told Ledbetter last week about the protest. "But I also recognize that not everybody has the same experience when they leave the locker room, and I hate that. That's not OK."

In the aftermath of Colin Kaepernick protesting police brutality and systemic racism during the 2016 season, 15 Falcons players formed a social justice committee in October 2017 to promote and facilitate change in the Atlanta area.